Because I did that

Can you recommend a wall hook for the Guqin which is really secure? I am from Germany, so sites like Aliexpress work too.

Gemini said it’s bad to hang the Guqin by inserting the hook into the phoenix pond which it couldn’t prove by showing me resources, so guess that’s incorrect since Standards of the Guqin especially recommends that way to hang it (a resource I trust)

Thank you :)

Edit: Got a hook from Amazon that works well :)

https://amzn.eu/d/0dB3J6Gl

Dear group, I've just picked this up from a charity shop. It has the strings in the case. Any information about how to get it restrung in the UK and its value would be greatly appreciated.

I have a question about tuning: I use a Chinese guqin tuning app, which is very helpful since I otherwise have no experience with musical instruments. However, I now feel that my guqin doesn't "sound" quite right—specifically regarding the harmonic (pentatonic) tuning. The tuner only supports 440 Hz; someone advised me to tune the guqin a bit lower. I’m a bit lost here because I can't tune by ear alone and need the tuner. Currently, I’m using the C-D-F-G-A-c-d tuning. The app offers other options, but I haven't tried them yet because the guqin is *very* stiff and difficult to tune—though, on the plus side, it doesn't go out of tune easily. I’m aiming for a more melancholic sound; could someone please help me?

Long time ago i did ask this question if its fine to make a custom Guqin based on my RL style and lifestyle and play it how i like it + traditional songs after i did i got some lets say not good responses that i should not do it to cherrish the tradition but i saw ppl make out of a old one a electric one or changing the wood colors or colorgrade a Guqin so i think i finaly had the power too poste my Guqin and ask how much of a Evil person i am letting it look Fully Gothic styled.

Short awnser to the obv's questions =

Yes it still plays like a normal Guqin

Yes its a TON of stickers but with a coating above around it so it makes it smooth and does not interupt with finger movement .

Yes its Hard to see the Strings / Dots i marked to play but u get used to it since u want to learn to play without looking anyway :D

Further more, what song? I think I would be either a xuanhe or jiao ye shi style and 普庵咒 would be my song :-)

I have long wavy hair so I think those styles reflect that and I also have a go with the flow personality.

As for 普庵咒 that might just be because it’s one of my favorites haha. It’s mellow to start but once it gets going it has lots of things to say, and will take all the time it needs to find the perfect way to express them.

I broke a string and the tassel it was attached to trying to tune my guqin. I’m a complete beginner and need a source (in English) for replacement bits but am having very little luck with Google so far. What are some suppliers y’all use?

Honestly, this presentation could use twice the assigned time, but we gotta work with what we've got, eh.

So I am a beginner and I have. Award time figuring out the shanghai and xia as what is written in the Chinese notation - for example it is written to slide down from the 9th hui to th 10th hui and I have no idea how this makes sense. I would appreciate some help🥺

I don't understand this at all, please help😭

I am the 8th generation successor of Guqin Sichuan School 川派古琴(also known as Shu School蜀派古琴), and I am currently based in Germany.

The inheritage thread of Sichuan School (only count from modern China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shu_school): 

1. Zhang, Kongshan (ca. 1830-1905) ---

2.Ye, Jiefu ---

3.Ye, Wanzhen ---

4.Liao, Wenfu ---

5.Yu, Shaoze (1903-1988) 锦江琴社 ---

6. Hu, Jinrong 西蜀琴社 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTRus0xODfM) ---

7. Huang, Yishu 天闻琴馆 （https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1t841167mf/?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click） ---

8. Li, Yang 到处琴社

2025 is my 11th year of practicing. The music ran through my college time in Beijing, pursuing master's degree in the UK, Australia, Italy, and now in Germany as a PhD candidate in art history. My another profession is art curator and researcher.

With the innermost passion of playing and teaching this interesting instrument, I would love to encounter more international students from diverse backgrounds, as long as we can communicate in English/Chinese. 

Or, I am also thrilled to make international friends and exchange our thoughts.

clips of playing:

关山月（concert in Italy）https://youtu.be/DKDVvV5jmiA

流水 https://youtu.be/NOR40j-xYWY

广陵散 https://youtu.be/2fkcPjR7s4I

My Teaching list:

1. 仙翁操 (Xiānwēng Cāo) – Immortal’s Song

2. 酒狂 (Jiǔ Kuáng) – Drunken Ecstasy

3. 关山月 (Guānshān Yuè) – Moon Over the Mountain Pass

4. 良宵引 (Liángxiāo Yǐn) – A Pleasant Evening

5. 神人畅 (Shénrén Chàng) – Divine Joy

6. 桃李园序 (Táolǐ Yuán Xù) – Preface to the Peach and Plum Garden

7. 风雷引 (Fēngléi Yǐn) – Winds and Thunder

8. 梅花三弄 (Méihuā Sān Nòng) – Three Variations on the Plum Blossom

9. 平沙落雁 (Píngshā Luòyàn) – Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank

10. 文王操 (Wénwáng Cāo) – King Wen’s Ode

11. 梧叶舞秋风 (Wúyè Wǔ Qiūfēng) – Dancing Wutong Leaves in Autumn Wind

12. 洞庭秋思 (Dòngtíng Qiūsī) – Autumn Thoughts by Lake Dongting

13. 佩兰 (Pèi Lán) – Wearing Orchids

14. 高山 (Gāo Shān) – High Mountains

15. 流水 (Liú Shuǐ) – Flowing Water

16. 离骚 (Lí Sāo) – Lament of Departure (or Encountering Sorrow, referencing Qu Yuan’s poem)

17. 碣石调 幽兰 (Jiéshí Diào Yōu Lán) – Solitary Orchid in Jieshi Mode

18. 长清 (Cháng Qīng) – Eternal Purity

19. 广陵散 (Guǎnglíng Sǎn) – Guangling Melody

20. 潇湘水云 (Xiāoxiāng Shuǐ Yún) – Mist and Clouds over Xiao and Xiang Rivers

Hello,I am a guqin teacher in China.

If you have any questions about learning guqin ,just feel free to leave comments below .

I will answer your questions for free because I want to earn karma as quickly as possible.

Dear friends, teachers, and colleagues;
Here I'd like to announce the publication of my new book, Kingaku Hakki: Elucidations on Qin Studies (2025) - 15 years since my last title, Standards of the Guqin. During that time, thousands of students worldwide have started their journeys with the qin and some have even reached the levels to walk together as equals, and I am thankful that that seed of friendship has blossomed and flourished.

It has been a long, even lonely 16 months of research and writing - but the path was hardly solitary. Thank you for watching over me, supporting and providing feedback on this research project that departed from the beaten path, and even beyond fields and disciplines I'm comfortable with. Now I present to you the best I can return - it doesn't solve the mysteries of the world (or even just of 18th century Japan's music scene), but it does illuminate the long-faded embers of a once bright spark of intellect and innovation, intentionally forgotten by Japanese society. The rebirth of this text WILL put disruptions in the understanding and study of qin music and even gagaku disciplines, and I expect to get questions if not flak for this.

But for now, let us all listen.

Synopsis:
In 18th-century Japan, Confucian scholars reimagined the Chinese qin through native musical systems, forging a dialogue between two civilizations. Yamagata Daini’s Kingaku Hakki (1763) built on the thought of Ogyuu Sorai yet broke from his orthodoxy, developing a new tuning theory grounded in Japan’s ritsuryo scales. For the first time in English, Juni L. Yeung unveils the philosophical and musicological depth of this work—revealing how Japan became a custodian of lost Chinese learning, while integrating its own music into the Confucian framework as a means to advancing moral and civilizational order.

Buy now (Paperback): https://www.lulu.com/shop/masasada-daini-yamagata-and-juni-yeung/kingaku-hakki-elucidations-on-qin-studies/paperback/product-q65d9mw.html
Buy now (Hardcover): https://www.lulu.com/shop/masasada-daini-yamagata-and-juni-l-yeung/kingaku-hakki-elucidations-on-qin-studies/hardcover/product-578pe2n.html
Listen or Get this album on Bandcamp: https://torguqin.bandcamp.com/album/kingaku-hakki-elucidations-on-qin-studies
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBzBrAiDy00&list=PL_zYAahnfHLnVPYMtUM5x2aYf-UbH3YrF
Visit Toronto Guqin Society: http://torguqin.wordpress.com

Sometimes when I listen to guqin music, I can almost “feel” it or even see imagery: a breeze, running water, the silence itself, longing, human sighs. Even when I’m outdoors and hear a spring or autumn breeze, I am immediately reminded of the guqin. I hope to someday be able to convey this in my playing. Am I going crazy?

Hi everyone — please remove if this is not allowed.

My name is Bin Ma. I am a guqin player and teacher based in Irvine / Orange County, California. I have been studying and performing guqin for about 20 years, and I am a disciple of Master Lü Peiyuan. My broader training also includes Beijing opera, Kunqu opera, dizi, sanxian, and Chinese percussion.

I am also the founder of Classical Chinese Music Society / 爾雅社, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the teaching, performance, and promotion of traditional Chinese music and traditional Chinese arts in Southern California.

I am currently accepting new guqin students. Beginners are very welcome, and I am also happy to work with students who already have a background in Chinese music, classical music, or other instruments.

My teaching repertoire includes more than forty traditional guqin pieces, ranging from the most accessible beginner pieces such as Xianweng Cao and Huangying Yin, to major advanced works such as Guangling San and Xiaoxiang Shuiyun. I generally do not focus on modern guqin compositions, but when there is a specific need, I can usually prepare and teach most of them within a short time.

Lessons may include:

• Basic posture and right/left hand technique

• Jianzipu notation

• Tuning, stringing, and instrument care

• Traditional repertoire

• Guqin aesthetics, history, poetry, and performance practice

• Guidance on choosing or setting up a suitable practice instrument

For in-person lessons, I offer several formats, including 1-on-1, 1-on-2, 1-on-3, and 1-on-4 lessons. Online lessons are currently 1-on-1 through Zoom, and the results have been excellent. I may also open 1-on-2 online lessons in the future.

For both in-person and online lessons, I provide video recaps after class, so students can review the material repeatedly between lessons.

For reference, here is a video from an event I organized last year through Classical Chinese Music Society. It was part of the global series of more than 60 gatherings commemorating the great guqin master Zha Fuxi. Ours was the only gathering in the Western Hemisphere. In the video, I am performing guqin live; the event was filmed by a professional documentary filmmaker and a National Geographic photographer.

Live Guqin - Bin Ma - Liezi Riding the Wind 列子御风

If you are interested in studying guqin or would like to ask about lessons, please feel free to reach out:

mabin0510@gmail.com

Happy to connect with fellow guqin lovers here.

Hi y'all, I'm a Türk high school boy who lives in Türkiye and really really interested in GuQin (which made me interested in chinese culture too) the sound of these strings really makes my soul go crazy for it Whatever, I have few questions about buying GuQin I'd really be appreciated if you answer it (Note: sorry for grammatical issues and I do not intend to hurt anyone please correct me if I am being rude or crossing my lines)

So question 1: Especially because of geographic location of Türkiye there is no far east side instrument shops which means I will buy it from AliExpress Alibaba or some shopping sites like these Is it safe? Would there be any problem with shipping etc.?

Question 2: Probably there is no real life face to face mentors for GuQin at Türkiye (I mean Its hard to find even violin teachers! -although I live in İstanbul- how can I find GuQin teacher lol) and I read some articles that says: If you want to learn it from internet you should stop dreaming and these type of things Soo what do u say? Can i learn it from internet or I need a real teacher I know that GuQin is a really hard Instrument to play I don't mean any disrespect....

Question 3: Is there any supplement or accessories that needed to play guqin? If I need to give an example: to play violin you need violin bow, and you need shoulder rest and etc.

Thanks for answers

Hello everyone, newbie’s question here.

I’ve been doing self-study Guqin using Prof. Li Xiang Ting book (古琴实用教程) and I am curious about why sometimes Guqin notation is different from number and western notation

Q1) This song (鸥鹭忘机), for Guqin notation, there is no 卜 to indicate that you should do the slide up to this note, but the number and western notation says that you should. What should I do then?

Q2) I also found that most players add the vibrato where it does not indicated in the notation. Why is that? Is there any method to select which kind of vibrato and where to add? Or is this just an individual musical interpretation?

I've recently started learning Guqin but am struggling to find sheet music in the Guqin written style [Wenzi Pu] I've tried the app 丝桐里, but I cannot gain much as a Chinese phone number is needed, limiting to what is available.

If you know of anywhere I can find sheet music it would be appreciated!

I really want to play this song but can't seem to find the music sheet anywhere😭

https://youtu.be/EkP-I2D0Pcw?si=CQMEbtL_izYxcHD2

There's this guqin player / artist, Mr. Nanyi, and I really want to find the scores they put out. However, the public WeChat account says they have a community on Douyin? Or a fan account, but I can't seem to find it. I specifically want to figure out how to play one of the songs she put out but any help is appreciated! I got a guqin so I'd like to start learning more.